The New Girl
by Isabelle Lovelace
Summary: Draco is acting weird around this new girl he meets and he has no idea about what is happening to him. And what will happen when his worst enemy, Harry, enters his sweet little love story. Draco Malfoy love story!
1. The Hogwarts Express

**A/N : This is my first attempt of writing a fanfiction. I've done my best. Please tell me if I'm doing something wrong. Hope you enjoy it. Set in Harry's fifth year.**

**Draco POV**

The Dark Lord has returned. Potter keeps telling that to people, but no one believes him. At least no one other than his stupid followers. I, along with all the other Death Eater families, know that it's true. But obviously we aren't going to tell that to anyone. And I don't even care about all that stuff. I just enjoy troubling the 'Golden Trio', as everyone calls them. And I'm pretty sure I'll be getting loads of opportunities to trouble them this year.

Currently I'm on the Hogwarts Express. We haven't left King's Cross yet. After a while I'll go and check on Potter. Crabbe and Goyle are already asleep on the seat opposite of me. We're in our usual compartment. The last one. Blaise and Parkinson aren't here today. They are on Prefects duty. I'm glad I don't have to listen to Pansy's babbling. Finally the train is moving.

*Knock knock*

Now what?!

"Excuse me", said a girl poking her head in the compartment, "do you mind if I sit here?" I say nothing, hoping that she'll get the message that I don't appreciate her company. "Actually I have no friends here and no compartment is free. I can ask someone else if you have any problem. But I hope you let me sit here. I won't disturb you, I promise."

Merlin! How can she talk so much in so less time? "Fine. Whatever." I say as I move aside to make place for her. She sits besides me, removes a book from her bag and starts reading. With her bouncy brown hair, dark brown eyes and lightly tanned skin, she isn't very attractive. But she's pretty. I haven't seen her before. "Which house are you in?" I ask her.

"I'm a new student actually. I went to Beauxbatons for the last few years. But now, due to some family problems, I had to shift here."

"Oh. So you're French?"

"British. My dad is a muggle police officer in London. My mum is French. She works in the ministry. She went to Beauxbatons. So she wanted me to go there."

"Half-blood". At least she's not a mudblood. Wait. Why do I even care about her blood status? It's not like she's my friend or anything. Ugh!

"Yes. Any problem?" She sounded offended.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." Sorry!? Seriously? When did I start saying sorry? I must be going crazy!

"It's okay. I'm Annabel. Annabel Turner." She said extending her hand towards me.

I accept it. " Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Then she reopens her book and starts reading. I stare outside the window, thinking about my strange behavior towards her. I seriously said sorry? Thank Merlin there wasn't anyone around to hear it. I have a reputation to keep! I can't just go around saying sorry to random people.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" I look up, startled, to see the trolley woman. I love chocolates! I buy some for myself and some for those idiots, Crabbe and Goyle. They are still asleep, but they'll be quite hungry when they get up. As much as I hate them, they are my friends.

Annabel and I eat together. Sharing our food. We talk for a while. She tells me about Beauxbatons and I tell her about Hogwarts. I personally believe that Hogwarts is the worst school ever. But obviously I wouldn't say so to other school students. So I praise my school while she praises hers.

"Draco, can I please sit by the window for the remaining time?" she requested.

"Um...sure." I say as I get up to make place for her. Once again she opens her book and we sit in silence.

Finally Crabbe and Goyle are awake. I give them the food I bought for them. And now they're too busy eating to even notice Annabel. And she's too busy reading to notice that the other inhabitants of our compartment are awake. I talk to them for a while, but I soon I get bored and zone out.

I glance at Annabel and notice that she's ... crying? Yes. She's definitely crying. But why? What's wrong? She was alright a few minutes ago. Is she missing her old school? Friends? Or is she in some problem? Maybe she's just nervous for her first day. Wait. Why am I thinking so much about her? She's crying. So? Let her. That's none of my business.

Now she's closed her book and is gazing out the window. "Hey, why were you crying? Any problem?" I blurt out before I could stop myself.

"No no no. It's just the book. I get quite emotional while reading a book. And this one was particularly very very heartbreaking. I love it!" she explained. "By the way, do you read?"

"Sometimes"

"You should read this book. Somehow I think that you would like it. You seem like the kind of person who might like this book."

"Is it? What's it called?"

"'The fault in Our Stars' by John Green. You can have my copy. I'm done with it. Just make sure you give it back to me. I hate lending my books to people. I don't know why I'm giving this to you."

"Muggle book?"

"Yeah. I find muggle books much more amusing than the wizard ones. You should give it a try."

I take the book from her and keep it in my bag. Promising her to return it to her once I'm done reading.

It's almost time to get down now. So I wear my robes and tell the others to do the same. Rest of the ride we sit silently. When we get down, Professor Grubbly-Plank asked Annabel to go with her and the first years. I wonder where that idiot half-giant Hagrid is. Hopefully he's been kicked out of school.

I take a carriage with Crabbe and Goyle and go towards the castle. For a while I've been feeling like I'm forgetting something. I'm wearing my robes. I have my wand. My luggage will be taken to my dorm directly. I've taken everything. Then what is it that I have forgotten? It's probably nothing. Across from me I see the 'Golden Trio' get into carriage along with the little weasel and the Quibbler girl.

Oh! So that's what I forgot! I didn't visit Potter's compartment today! How could I miss a chance to trouble him? What was I even doing on the train that made me forget such an important thing? Oh...right. I was busy talking to Annabel. What is this girl doing to me?! I hope she stops messing with my head now. And yet all I can think about is her. I hope she is sorted into Slytherin. Wait...what? Seriously! Stop it Draco! Think straight.

I get into the Great Hall and sit at the Slytherin table with my friends. Blaise and Pansy are there too. Now nothing can save me from Pansy's babbling. I pretend to listen to her while I wait for the sorting to begin.

After a few minutes the first years enter. Annabel is at the back of that line. She seems to be searching for someone. I hope it's me. I barely pay attention to the sorting until it's Annabel's turn. Professor McGonagall introduces her to the school, saying that she'll be joining the fifth years, and then asks her to sit on the stool. She places the hat on Annabel's head.

Please let it be Slytherin. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Slytherin. Slytherin. Slytherin. Slytherin. Slytherin.

There. I'm doing it again. Something is seriously wrong with me. Finally the hat shouts

.

.

.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Oh. Fine. I'm not disappointed. Not at all. Who cares? I barely know her anyways.

She goes and sits with the Ravenclaws. She still seems to be searching for someone. She unintentionally glaces at me while looking for the person. Then she retraces her path and looks back at me. She gives me a beautiful angelic smile. I am too mesmerized to do anything. She waves at me. I get out of my trance and wave back at her.

She's so beautiful. And so nice. And so good. I think I've started to like her. I think I definitely like her. And it seems she is interested in being my friend. I'm not going to let this opportunity go. I'm going to be her friend. No matter which house she is in. Her house doesn't matter. Her blood status doesn't matter. Nothing matters. All I know is that I like her and I want her to like me back. I'll do anything to make her like me.

**I know that tfios wasn't even published back then but just assume that it was. It is going to be mentioned again in the story.**

**Please tell me if you want more. Or else I won't waste my time writing something no one is interested in.**


	2. Friendships

**Annabel POV**

I lay in my bed thinking about him. Today I saw him for the first time. But I have fantasized about him since the day Fleur told me about him. I have a photograph of his. I look at it every day. When my parents told me that I was supposed to go to Hogwarts from this year, I just couldn't control my happiness. I was on the ninth cloud. Finally my time has come, finally I'll get to spend time with him. Talk to him.

The moment I entered the Great Hall, I started searching for that face. That beautiful face I was so familiar with from my dreams. After a long time I found it. I found him. His photographs were nothing compared to his real face. If his photographs were beautiful, then this was heaven. His unruly raven black hair. His bright green eyes. His world famous lightning bolt scar. His slightly dark skin. He was the definition of beauty.

But he didn't even glance at me once. I intend to change it soon enough though. I intend to make him my friend. And I intend to make him like me. I want him. I want him to be mine. One day you will like me, Harry Potter.

* * *

I've made an unexpected friend. Draco Malfoy. He seemed kind of rude when I first met him on the train. Later on he was nice to me though. I even let him borrow my book, which is quite unusual of me. I thought that would be the last time we talk. But then on the first day of school, he offered to show me the way to my class. There we sat together. And then it became a routine, we would together walk to every class and sit together.

He even introduced me to his other friends, Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise and Pansy. Pansy is a little rude, but her intentions aren't bad. She's a good friend of mine. Blaise wasn't very happy to let me enter his group of friends. So he isn't my friend exactly, but he isn't my enemy either. We avoid each other as much as possible and try not to bother each other. So he's not a problem either. Crabbe and Goyle were just glad that I won't be eating their food.

And Draco is basically my best friend here. So I'm always hanging out with him and his friends. Draco is helping me cover all the spells and potions that he has learned in the previous years, but I haven't. And I am teaching him a few of the spells I learned back in Beauxbatons that he doesn't know. We spend a lot of time in library together. He's still reading the book I gave him.

Other than them, I have my Ravenclaw friends. And a few Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs too. Hermione is my friend. But she never talks to me when she's around Harry. Apparently he doesn't like it when his best friend talks with 'Draco and his goons'. So I haven't got a chance to talk to him yet. I'm just waiting for the perfect opportunity.

I've decided to tell Draco about my feelings for Harry. I want to talk to Harry and it won't be happening until Harry and Draco clear up their problems. I hope he'll do it for me. If only I find him in this huge castle. Currently I'm searching the library but he's nowhere to be found. Ah! There he is. I go towards him and see what he's reading. Oh he's finally at the part where Gus is going to die. I want to see his expressions when he reads it. So I go and sit across from him.

He is so engrossed in his reading that he doesn't even notice me. There comes the first tear. I knew it! As tough as he appears to be, he is very soft on the inside. Besides, that book can make anyone cry. He closes his book and just stares at it for a moment. "So now you know why I was crying back then." I say.

He looks up at me, startled, with those teary grey eyes. "Yes, I do. Why did you make me read this?! It's so heartbreaking!"

"I knew you'd like it!" I say through my laughter.

"So, why do I owe this pleasure?"

"Dray can I ask you for a favor?" I ask, with a serious face.

"You don't have to ask me for any favors, Annie. You're my best friend. I'll do anything for you." He said with a concerned look.

That's our thing. He calls me Annie and I call him Dray. Just between the two of us. "But this is something you may not like." He frowns at my words but I still continue, "I want you to solve your problems with Harry. Look I know it is too much to ask from you, but I really need this. I really really like him and I want to talk to him. But he won't talk to any friends of yours."

He looks shocked. But I still continue. If I don't say it now, I would probably never say it. " And I can't lose your friendship because of my feelings for him. I want to be your best friend and still be able to talk to him. So the only option left is that you both finish your enmity."

He doesn't say anything for a long time. I think he's going to say no. So I do the worst thing ever. I emotionally blackmail him. " Please Dray. Please. Won't you do this small thing for your best friend? Please!"

"Fine. I'll do what you tell me to do. I'll be on my best behavior. But don't expect him to do the same." He finally gives in. "By the way, your choice is horrible", he adds as an after thought.

"Thank you, Dray! Thank you so much! I love you!"

* * *

**Draco POV**

My heart fluttered at that. She just said I love you to me. Wow! I'm so happy! Yeah it was just a friendly I love you, but something is better than nothing. She just said it because she was very happy. And she was happy because I agreed to behave properly with Potter, because she likes Potter.

She likes Potter! Great! Another thing that brat stole from me. What does he have that I don't? Why doesn't she like me? I love her!

It started out as a small crush. I thought it would fade out with time. But it only increased. First crush, then like and now love. I'm completely in love with her. So much that I can sacrifice my own happiness for her. I want her. Of course I do. But more than that I want her to be happy. I will help her with Potter because that will make her happy. And her happiness is the only thing that matters.

Potter can never love her as much as I do. But I can't tell that to her. I'm not going to ruin our friendship by confessing my feelings for her. Hopefully she will herself see it one day. Hopefully she will choose me over him. I love you Annie. I love you.


	3. Umbridge

**Draco POV**

It's been 2 weeks since Annie told me to be good to Potter. I'm trying. But obviously he is behaving as horrible as ever. I don't know what she saw in him. He is so irritating. Once after Potions class, he forgot his quill on his desk. So Annie took it and went after him to give it back. She called him and told him that she's got his quill. He looked at his quill, then at her face, then at my face, then back to the quill and then told her to keep it to herself.

Sweet, isn't it? 'Keep it. I'm not going to touch anything that has been near that ferret. He's probably jinxed it', were his exact words. But she heard nothing past the 'keep it' part. And I tried not to react to the 'ferret' part.

I've even told my friends to be away from Potter and the others. I hope Annie will soon realise that he is too terrible for me to behave good with him. He doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve her.

"Hey! I've got good news!", somehow Annie has entered the Slytherin Common Room and is now coming towards me with a beautiful grin on her face. "Finally I've got a chance to talk to him." She says sitting besides me.

"Talk to whom?" I ask, even though I know the answer.

"Harry, of course."

"Oh. And what do I have to do now?"

"Nothing. Just follow me."

"What's the plan?"

"Today I heard some Ravenclaw girls talk about some kind of meeting in Hogsmeade this weekend. Apparently Harry and his friends are fed up of Umbridge and want the students to learn some real spells. So they are going to collect all the interested students and teach them. And I've decided to join them."

"Annie, it's dangerous. What if someone finds out? What if you get into trouble? And they haven't even invited you. They'll just tell you to leave them alone, thinking that you are my spy or something. I don't want you to get insulted because of me."

"Oh come on, Dray. Since when are you scared of getting into trouble? And don't worry about the insulting part. I have a plan. I'll offer them something that they'll not be able to reject. And you're coming with me."

"What?! No! I'm not. They may let you stay if you're alone but they'll never do it if you're with me. That hate me Annie. They think I'm Umbridge's spy. And if father finds out about this, he'll kill me."

"Please Dray. We'll take care of everything. No one has to know about it. And I'll convince them that you are innocent. Please, just come with me."

"I don't know Annie...I don't think it will work out."

"Please. Please. Please."

"Fine. I'll come. But we're leaving as soon as it gets out of hands."

"Okay. I promise."

"Ahem. Ahem." Shit. I hope she didn't hear anything. "What are you doing here Miss Turner? I thought you were a Ravenclaw." What does that toad want with us.

"Yes Professor. I was just here to talk to Draco. I wanted to tell him something urgently."

"You aren't allowed to enter other House's Common Rooms. I suppose you knew about it.?"

"No Professor, I didn't."

"Well you should have used your little Ravenclaw brain. You should have called Mr Malfoy out of the Common Room. What if other students don't like having you in here?"

"I'm sorry Professor, but this rule doesn't make any sense. Why can we not spend time with our friends from other houses?" Oh no! She shouldn't have said it. She's going to get in problem. I have to do something.

"I'm sorry Professor. I asked her to come in here. It's not her fault.", I say. At that she shifts her angry gaze from Annie to me.

"Well then the both of you deserve to be punished, don't you?" We just look at each other and keep quite. "My office, after dinner." She says before leaving.

"You shouldn't have done it Dray. I wasn't doing anything wrong. Now that toad gets the satisfaction of punishing us both. Well I should go now, before we get into more problem. Meet you at dinner." She says and leaves. I sigh and get back to completing my Herbology essay.

* * *

After dinner we walk together towards Umbridge's office. I hope she won't make us do lines, I'm already tired of writing. Maybe she'll make us scrub the floor or something. Well it won't be so bad if Annie is there. We knock on the door and walk in. She's sitting at her desk, grading papers. She asks us to sit on a bench on the opposite side of the room. She keeps grading the papers while we sit there in silence.

After a few moments she comes towards us with some parchments and two quills. Ah! So it's lines. Well okay then. I'm ready. She gives us the quills and the parchments and tells us that we'll be writing lines. 'I will not break the rules again' is our line. "How many times do we write Professor?"asks Annie, "and you didn't give us any ink."

"Well you won't be needing any ink. And you'll write it till it gets fit inside your brain." She tells us and goes back to her desk. I pick up the self inking pen and start writing. As soon as I write the first letter, pain shoots through my left hand. I gasp and look at it to see what it is. And I stare at it in horror. And then I hear Annie gasps. I look at her to find the same scar on the back of her left hand. We look at each other silently.

"Any problem Miss Turner? Mr Malfoy?" Asks the toad with a smirk on her face. That brat gave us blood quills. The quills are using our own blood as ink. How dare she! She can't do this to the students. Does she do this to every student she gives detention to? What about the younger students? They don't deserve this, no matter what. I have to do something about it.

"No _Professor_", says Annie mockingly. She starts writing again and motions for me to do the same. I am beyond angry. But I do as she asks me to. We sit in silence and write for more than an hour. My hand is hurting so much that I have started planning Umbridge's murder. Finally the toad asks us if we have learned our lessons. We are in too much pain to argue, so we just nod. She asks her to give the parchment and quills to her and leave the room.

I give her the parchment, look her straight in the eyes and say, "my father will hear about this". I see fear in her eyes. But she soon masks it and motions for me to get out. I do. I walk away from the office with Annie at my side. "We have to stop this. We can't let her torture the students like this. We have to do something.", I say. She doesn't reply.

"Are you okay, Annie? You look troubled. I mean obviously you're hurt. But I expected you to be more angry than upset. ", I say with concern.

"Harry's been to Umbridge's detentions since the first day of school. He's been facing this for so long." She finally says. Oh. Right. He's had detention with Umbridge everyday since the school started. I feel a little bad for him. But why didn't he do anything? He should've told someone.

"I will stop this, Annie. I promise I will. No one will ever have to face this punishment again. I will write to father and make sure he does something about it." I promise her. We soon part our ways. She goes towards the Ravenclaw tower and I go towards the Dungeons. I go straight to my dorm and bring out some parchments and a quill and write a letter to father.

I write all about my detention. I write about how she's been punishing all the students. Obviously I didn't mention Potter. I asked him to take some action and stop this. By the time I finished writing, it was past curfew. I can't send it now. I'll do it tomorrow morning.

* * *

The first thing I did when I got up was visit the owlery. I sent the letter home with my eagle owl. After that I had my breakfast and then the classes began. Thankfully we didn't have Defense Against The Dark Arts today. After our double Potions, we went for lunch.

I sat at the Slytherin table with Crabbe and Goyle on either side of me and Blaise and Pansy in front of me. We were chatting and discussing about our Potions homework, when suddenly the main door opened. It was father. He was there with some other officials. He went straight to the head table without even glancing at me. Everyone was staring at them.

They reached the head table and asked Umbridge to come and stand besides them. That toad had the audacity to look pleased. Then they turned towards the students. "Professor Umbridge here, has been caught using dark objects on the students as a punishment.",said father. The look on Umbridge's face was priceless.

"She punishes the students by making them write lines with a quill that draws ink from the writer's blood. This is a torture to the students and thus a offense punishable by Azkaban.",he informed. She was literally about to faint.

"But considering her good works in the ministry, she's saved from Azkaban. But this is her last warning. If she is ever caught using a dark object on a student again, she'll get lifetime of Azkaban. For now, we will be confiscating all the blood quills and other dark objects she has. Thank you." He finishes. "And don't you dare touch my son ever again.",he tells her. Loud enough for everyone to hear. He wants everyone to know that I am the reason for all this drama. I don't mind it as long as Umbridge's torture is over.

He and his team then proceeds to take her towards her office. And the Great Hall bursts into noises. Everyone is shouting with joy. It was a good show for them. They are quite happy to see Umbridge being placed into her place. People are giving me weird looks. Some look at me with gratitude, some with sympathy and others with jealousy. I can hear Granger shouting at Potter for hiding his punishments from her.

I scan the Ravenclaw table for Annie. And she too is looking at me. She beams at me when our eyes meet, and mutters a thank you. I fake glare at her and then we both laugh. We soon finish our meals and meet in the hallway. She hugs me and tells me how much she loves me. If only she knew.

"Your dad loves you so much.",she says as we start moving towards the Charms class.

I shake my head. "No. He just wants me to be superior to everyone. He hates it when someone hurts me, because he doesn't want anyone to be able to hurt me. So he punishes them and proves how powerful I am. Other than that he doesn't care about me.",I tell her with sadness in my eyes.

"Oh Dray, I'm so sorry. I didn't know your dad was so horrible.",she says.

"It's okay. That's not your fault."

"But I'm sure your mom is awesome. I mean that charm of yours has to come from somewhere right?",she says trying to change the mood.

"Yeah. Mum is awesome. She's really nice and sweet and she loves me a lot. I'm sure she'll love you too. She loves every friend of mine. She's just perfect. I love her." I say lovingly. She looks at me and smiles.

"Draco". We turn back to see father coming towards us. "Mother has sent sweets for you", he says, giving me a box of sweets.

"Thank you Father. Tell mum I miss her."

"Tell her yourself. She's always waiting for your letters. You barely write to her nowadays. Write her as soon as you can."

"Yes father. And thank you for what you did to Umbridge."

"I had to go through a lot of trouble to do that. I had to fight the Minister for what little punishment she got. I won't be able to do much if it happens again. Try not to earn any detentions."

"Sorry father. I'll be more careful." He just nods and leaves. I sigh in relief. Annie is glaring at father. She's so adorable. "Hey, it's okay. I'm used to it. He's always like that.",I tell her.

"It's not okay. What kind of father behaves so distant with his own son!",she says angrily. I start moving towards the class and she follows me. After a while she forgets all about it and starts talking about her first Hogsmeade visit.

I share my sweets with Annie during the dinner and then we go towards our dorms. I write to mum as soon as I get back to the dorm. I thank her for the sweets. I apologise for not writing earlier. I tell her all about Annie. I don't say anything about my feelings for her, but I tell her that I've got a new friend. I'm sure mum will love her.


	4. Hogsmeade

**Annabel POV**

I'm waiting in the hallway for Dray and my other Slytherin friends. We're going to the Hogsmeade together. My first Hogsmeade visit. I'm so excited! And I'm also excited for my first real talk with Harry. I'm kind of nervous too. I have a plan. He has to let me in. But what if he refuses? What if he still doesn't want to talk to me.

Dray has been quite good with him since I told him to do so. He hates doing it but still does it for me. He is so sweet. I feel really very good when I am around him. He makes me feel safe. He cares so much for me. I honestly couldn't have found a better friend than him. I've heard stories about how mean and cruel he was. But all I have seen from him is goodness.

Maybe people misunderstood him. Maybe he was just looking for attention. Maybe he didn't have anything worth being good for. Maybe he behaved like that because that's what people expected from a Slytherin and a Death Eater's son. I don't know why he did those things. The only thing that matters to me is what he is doing right now. He is a really good person.

I blame his former behavior to his horrible excuse of a father. That man is the worst father I have ever seen. All he cares about is his reputation. His bad reputation. He wants people to think that just like him, his son too is a powerful, bad person. I wonder if he ever forced Dray to behave rude with others and bully his inferiors. I wish I could do something about it.

"So, are you excited?", asks Pansy, pulling me out of my thoughts. Finally they are here. Dray is looking good in a sky blue shirt and black trousers. Light colours suit him. He should wear them more often.

"Totally", I reply as I hold her hand and pull her towards the door. Pansy tells me all about Hogsmeade while we walk. Dray and Blaise are ahead of us and Crabbe and Goyle are behind us. We finally reach there. "So, where do we go first?",I ask.

"I want butterbeer. Let's go to Three Broomsticks",says Blaise. And so we go there. We sit there for a while. Eat. Drink. Next we go to the Honeyduke's. The sweets there are amazing. I buy a lot of sweets. I bought a box of chocolates for Dray. He loves chocolate. I'll give it to him later. Next we go to the Zonko's. It's a funny place. There are all sorts of things which can be used to prank.

As we move out of there, I see Harry and Hermione enter a shop. I nudge Dray and point it to him. He nods at me. "Hey, you guys go ahead. I want to show something to Annabel. We'll join you later.",he says to the rest of our group. They give us weird looks but don't ask anything. As soon as they leave, we move towards the door Harry and Hermione went through.

"You look good in light colour shirts. You should wear them more often."I say, finally alone with him. He looks at me, shocked, but doesn't say anything. Not even a smile or a nod. But we reach the place before I ask him what's wrong.

"I have to admit Granger is clever. She's chose a place where no one ever goes."he tells me, as we go in. Once in, we see a huge group of students sitting in one corner. I can see Harry, Ron and Hermione on one side and the others are sitting in a semi-circle around them. Harry is saying something, but I can't hear it. They don't notice us till we're too close.

Suddenly Harry looks up to see us. "Who invited them?"he asks Hermione, anger clear in his eyes.

"I don't know Harry. It wasn't me.",she informs him, irritated and then turns towards me. "What are you doing here Annabel? And who told you about the meeting?"

"No one. I heard some of the Ravenclaw students talking about some kind of meeting where they were going to learn new spells. I was curious. So we decided to join you guys."

"Well there's no place for enemies in my group. You better go now before I start insulting you " he threatens, looking at Dray. Then he turns to Hermione. "We can't do it now Hermione. They know all about it. He'll tell it to Umbridge the first chance he gets."he says.

"After what I did to her last week, do you seriously think I work for Umbridge?"asks Dray, out of patience now.

"Shut it both of you."I'm getting annoyed now. "What's your problem Potter? For days Draco is trying to befriend you, but everytime he tries, you insult him and push him away. He is not your enemy, do you not understand? At least not with respect to Umbridge. We hate her as much as you do. We want to learn to defend ourselves as much as you all do. We are here for that. We don't care about you, okay? And Draco is here because I asked him to come with me."

Everyone stares at me with open mouth. I hate being rude to Harry. But it's a part of my plan. I have to make sure that he hears me out. And for that I need his full attention. And I've got it now. So I continue, "now don't you dare say a word to him. And for your information, I have something you don't. Something which can help you all a lot." Then I look at all the students gathered there and add, "something which Potter can't give you."

They just stare at me for few more moments, before Hermione recovers and asks what everyone wants the answer to. "What is it?"

"Back in Beauxbatons, we weren't taught Defense Against the Dark Arts. We were taught Dark Arts. While Potter knows many defensive spells, I know many offensive ones. And you know, it's not such a good idea to use expelliarmus when our opponents are using avada kedavra"I say looking at Harry when I say the last part. His face reddens a bit.

I continue before he could say anything, "it may have worked for Potter, but it's still not a brilliant idea. You can't win a duel with just defensive spells. You can only stall. But with the offensive spells that I know, you can hurt your enemies as much as they can hurt you." Now my part is done. I just have to wait for their response.

They realise that I am done speaking and turn towards each other and start discussing it. I decide to give them some space. So I pull Dray towards the other side of the room and order a drink for us. "Are you sure you want to do it? What if they use your own spells against us?"says Dray suspiciously.

I roll my eyes at him. "Don't start behaving like Harry now. Have some faith. They won't harm us unless we harm them."

After a few moments I see Hermione looking towards me. She bickers us to come forward. It seems they've made their decision. I nod and go there, Dray besides me. "How do we know you're not lying? How do we know that you really do know those spells?"asks Ron impatiently.

"I have taught many of those spells to Draco. You can ask him. And if you don't believe him, then I can give you a trial. I can show you a spell which you haven't seen ever before."I assure him.

"Fine. Do it then."Harry says.

"I'll need a volunteer. Potter?"I ask. He looks uncertain. I can clearly see that he doesn't trust me. But he's the leader, he has to do it.

"Scared Potter?"smirks Dray. Harry gives him a glare but steps forward.

"Okay now I'll show you a spell to boil your opponent's blood. Potter, stand in your duelling position. This will hurt a lot, but don't worry. I stop it as soon as possible."I inform them as I get my wand out.

"ULCUS SANGUIS!"I shout as I raise my wand towards him and then upwards. He yells and drops to his knees. I drop my hand. He stops yelling but he's still on his knees. Panting hard. Hermione and Ron rush forward to help him up. Ron gives me a glare, but I ignore it. The others are too shocked to react.

"Harry! Are you okay? Is it hurting? Did she do something wrong?"Ginny says from the crowd. Harry shakes his head and smiles at the group of students. I can see how strained his smile is. He wants to be strong for them. But it must be hurting a bit.

"I'm fine. When she did the spell, I could fell my blood heating up rapidly. And then it became too much to handle. It felt like I was on fire. But it stopped as soon as she put her wand down. Now it doesn't hurt much"he explained after his breathing went back to normal. I hear a 'wicked' from the Weasley twins. I throw them a smile. I turn around to look at Dray who is grinning ear to ear. I glare at him and he stops grinning.

Once again all of them start discussing with each other. I go towards Dray and talk to him. He playfully says that he enjoyed looking at Harry in pain. I lightly punch him on the arm. He gives me a sheepish smile. We talk for a few minutes and then again Hermione calls us forward.

"Harry and I don't like the knowledge that you have. It is a bit scary and it doesn't fit our morals."she says. I start to argue but she stops me and continues, "But we have to accept it was intimidating. And as you said, we have to know some offensive spells as well as the defensive ones that Harry is going to teach us."

"And what is your final decision? Do you want me to join or what?"I ask.

"You can join us. It is best for all of us."says Harry, a little hesitantly.

"Fine. But I have a condition. If you want me to help you all, you have to do something."I inform them.

Harry looks at Hermione and raises an eyebrow. "What is it Annabel?"asks Hermione with a frown.

"You have to let Draco in. And Potter has to accept his friendship. I don't want there to be any enmity amongst us."I state my condition.

Once again Harry looks at Hermione. This time with a glare. She gives him an apologetic look and says, "come on Harry, it's certainly better if we don't fight amongst us. We need all the power that we can gather. This is a good chance. And you have to admit, Malfoy has stopped troubling us since the beginning of this year. Maybe he has changed. You should give him a chance."

Harry continues to glare at her for a moment and then looks at Dray. "Fine."he says and extends his hand towards Dray. Dray gives me an uncertain look but accepts his hand.


	5. Dumbledore's Army

**Draco POV**

The hand shake part made me nostalgic. I remembered my first day at Hogwarts. I had offered my hand to Potter and he had rejected it. I wonder what my life would've been like if he had accepted my friendship back then. Anyways, today when he offered me his hand, I was tempted to reject it. Just for the sake of revenge. But I saw the hope in Annie's eyes. She wanted me to do this. So reluctantly I reached forward and shook his hand.

I don't know how she managed to do all this. I was quite sure they would ask her to leave as soon as she performed the blood boiling spell on Potter. I have to admit it was scary. I thought they would assume that she is a bad person because she knows all these horrible spells. But surprisingly they didn't. They allowed her in. In fact they even let me in.

The most surprising part was when Potter accepted her condition. He hates me and he still befriended me. Just because he wanted her on his side. I just hope that this union of theirs wouldn't affect my friendship with her. I don't want to lose her friendship. Especially not now when she is so close to me. Today she complimented me. She said I looked good. I was too shocked to reply.

It would've been easier to forget my feelings for her if she had behaved indifferent with me. But she's always doing this stuff. Complimenting me. Giving me nick-names. Even flirting at times. This makes me fall for her even harder. I wish she would stop. And still I can't help but enjoy it.

"Malfoy". Granger's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked at her questioningly. She pointed to the parchment in front of her and said, "your name". I used to have a crush on Granger. But then I realized that just like everyone else, she judges me on the basis of my house and my father. So now I'm over my stupid crush.

"Uh. Yeah"I said and wrote my name on the parchment. They're making all the members write their names on the parchment. Annie's name is right at the top below Harry's and above Granger's. She is going to teach some spells. So she belongs at the top. And I belong at the bottom. Because I am less than wanted here. Nevermind. Who cares? I'm just here for Annie. I don't care about what others think of me.

They told us that they'll be informing us of the first meeting as soon as possible. And so we all left that dusty place. I took Annie to a book shop. "Hey, have you read this book?"I asked showing her a copy of one of my favorite book.

"Nope."she replied.

"Good. It's one of my favorite. You have to read it. I'm buying it for you."I informed her.

"No Dray, you don't have to buy it for me. I can borrow it from you or from the school library."

"But I want to buy it for you. It's a gift."

"Oh, you're so sweet! Hey, even I have a gift for you."she says while opening her bag.

"Chocolates! Wow! I love it! Thank you so much, Annie!"I said as I took the box of chocolates from her and opened it. We bought the book and started walking towards the school. I'm so happy. Today was a great day. Today she complimented me and then bought me a gift! Well it was a great day except the fact that Annie and Potter have officially met today.

* * *

The next day we get a message that our first meeting is scheduled on the coming Thursday on the seventh floor. They haven't told us exactly which room we are supposed to go to. But I think it's the Room of Requirements. I learned about it in my second year. I was frustrated of all the drama in the school and wanted to be quite for a while. And then I found the room. Soon I learned about it and now I always go there whenever I need something.

In the meanwhile we are attending all the classes. Acting as if nothing is happening. Now that Harry doesn't hate her, Annie insists on sitting on a bench close to his. He gives her smiles and they make small talks. It's clear that he's trying to avoid her as much as possible. But she is enjoying these small talks. I hate every single moment of it. But I just keep a straight face and ignore him as much as possible.

* * *

Finally today is our first meeting. I have to admit that I'm a little exited. I already know all these spells, but it would be fun to watch others struggle. Yesterday Potter told us that he wanted to start with a duel. He first wants to show all the others, how these spells are useful. So he has asked Annie to duel him. I wonder if he's doing it to show that he's better than her. He told her to not use very powerful spells. Just the usual hexes. I know for sure that Annie will win. I'm so excited to see him lose.

"Okay. So today we are going to conduct our official first meeting." Granger is practically jumping with excitement, "Harry wants to show you all how duelling actually works. So first thing we see today will be a duel between Harry and Annabel. Then we'll divide our time here between two parts. For the first half, Annabel will teach us her offensive spells and the next half, Harry will teach us the defensive spells. Any questions?"

"How about we name this group?" One of the Weasley twins. I think it was George. The next few minutes there were a lot of suggestions and finally the name was decided. Granger wrote that name on the top of the parchment with all the members' names. Dumbledore's Army. Stupid name. What does that old idiot have to do with it?

"Okay, so now that everything is settled, let's start the duel. Annabel?" Harry said with a superior tone.

"Yeah. I'm ready."said Annie confidently and moved forward. We all sat in a circle giving them space for duelling. I remember the duel I had with Potter in our second year. I had summoned a snake. And he had talked to the snake. It was creepy. I still get goosebumps, thinking about it.

They both stand in the center, facing each other. Then they move backwards, keeping some distance between them. Next they bow to each other. It's a tradition. Annie fires her first spell. Harry deflects it easily. But before he can fire a spell at her, she fires her second spell. He again deflects it. Then Harry casts an expelliarmus at her. Typical. She rolls onto her back and misses it.

Next he manages to shoot a stupify at her. But she just stumbles a little before balancing again. She shoots a spell at him, but he hides behind a dummy. He shoots a body binding spell at her, but she deflects it. Now the duel has become intense. For the next few minutes, it goes on and on. Potter managed to hit her twice more. Annie hit him once. At last she manages to hit him again. But he didn't even stumble. He isn't doing anything! Just looking around confused. Oh, it must be a confundus charm! Taking advantage of this confusion, Annie fired a body binding spell at him and disarmed him.

She mock bowed at him before reviving him. I smirk. Everyone started applauding and I joined in. Surprisingly, Potter doesn't look angry. He's looking at Annie with respect and admiration. I feel a stab in my heart. I knew this would happen but it still hurts.

After a few minutes, everyone settled down and the teaching began. Annie is teaching the air blow spell. It's like the air gun. The blow is so strong that you feel like you've been punched. And believe me it's very painful. I've learned it the hard way. Anyways, I already knew the spell. So Annie asked me to help the others.

* * *

**Annabel POV**

I decided to start with an easy spell. So I taught the air blow spell. It was easy enough for even Neville to get it after a few tries. At least it gave him self confidence. While I was helping the others, all I could think about was Harry. My duel with him. He was good. Very good. But he's not practiced. Not like me. Back in Beauxbatons, we had a duel class once a week. I'm used to duelling.

After the duel, something changed. Harry had a weird look in his eyes. I don't know what it was, but it felt good. And now he's being really nice to me. He's even talking to me more than ever before. Smiling at me and laughing at my stupid jokes. This feels good. I hope nothing goes wrong now.

He got the air blow spell on his second try. After that he helped the others. And once everyone got the spell right, he started with his spell. He decided to go with expelliarmus. I was already good at it, so I helped the others. Dray too did not need to learn this spell. He's good at most of the spells. I've taught him all the spells that I know. So actually there's no need for him to be here. Except that I want him to be here.

I feel surprisingly comfortable when he's around. I wouldn't have been able to win the duel if he hadn't been there. While duelling, every time I looked at him, I saw the pride in his eyes. I knew that he was proud of me for being so good. He was proud of me for being good enough to beat Harry. And that kept me going.

I know he doesn't like Harry. But just because of me, he is doing his best to not show it. I really appreciate it. I appreciate him being with me and always supporting me. I want him to know it, but it would be an awkward conversation. But I would make sure to show my appreciation for him in some way. Maybe I'll get him more chocolates.

* * *

**Harry POV**

Annabel is nothing like I thought. She is a really nice, strong and powerful girl. After our duel, my respect and admiration for her increased by so many times. She knew so many dangerous spells and yet all she used were the harmless ones. I thought she wanted to harm me. I was so wrong. And a person who can change Malfoy, has to be special.

All the dislike and mistrust I had about her is dead now. She is a good person and deserves to be treated better. So I started talking to her.

In a few days we became good friends. She is still Malfoy's best friend. She still has a lot of Slytherin friends. But through her, I saw that they are not that bad. Especially Malfoy. He is still a brat, but now I know that he isn't always like that.

He and Annabel are very close to each other. They are always together. Talking. Laughing. Sitting together during the classes. They even give a lot of gifts to each other. I don't know why but every time I see them together, I get this weird feeling. I feel like punching him in the face. Or holding her hand and taking her away from him.

Whoa! Where did that come from? No no no. I can't be jealous of him. I don't like her. I like Cho. I'm not supposed to think like that about anyone other than Cho. But she doesn't even look at me. Hermione says that she's been giving me more attention than before. But I never noticed.

I don't think she'll be able to get over Cedric so soon. Even I'm not over his death yet. She was his girlfriend! She must still be very devastated about that. But if she's not interested in me, then I can surely think about other girls. I'm not in any kind of committed relationship yet. I am allowed to think about others.

"Do you think Annabel and Malfoy are dating each other?"I asked as I saw them both entering the Great Hall. Together. At least they went sat on their respective House Tables during dinner.

"Why do you ask?"asked Hermione, giving me a strange look.

"Just curious."I reply. I hope she didn't hear the jealousy in my voice.

"Oh" she raises an eyebrow at me but doesn't ask me anything. "No, they're not. Even I thought they were. So one day I asked her. And she told me that they're was nothing like that between them. Though I do think Malfoy has feelings for her."

"Good" once again she raises an eyebrow but doesn't question. Why does she understand me so much. I can't hide anything from her. And all the while Ron was too busy eating to even hear us talk.


	6. Halloween - part 1

**Harry POV**

It's Halloween today. My least favorite day of the year. I'm always very depressed and sad on this day. Especially after the dementor attack in my third year. That was when I saw the scene that had happened in Godric's Hollow all those years ago. That was when I heard my dad cry out for my mum to run. And my mum's cry. And then the green light. That was when I knew how much agony they were in.

I always used to feel depressed on Halloween, but I never knew why. Then Hagrid told me the story of my parents' death and I understood the reason of my sadness. Then in my third year I saw all of that and my mood started getting worse. I prefer to stay alone on this day. Each year I've been going to the top of astronomy tower and spending my whole day there. Alone.

People know why I do this and do not bother me. Teachers and students alike. Surprisingly, not even Malfoy has ever bothered me on this day. Hermione worries about me but doesn't question. In our first year she noticed that I don't come down even for the meals. So next year onwards she started giving me lunch. She used to pack some sandwiches and other things and give it to me in the morning.

I grabed all the things that I have of my parents. My invisibility cloak, the blanket I had as a baby and the photo album Hagrid gave me in my first year. Along with that I packed a few parchments and quills and go down. In the Common Room, Hermione was waiting with my lunch and a bottle of water. I took it from her and thanked her with a forced smile. And then I left.

Once there, I went to my usual place in the corner and sat down. I started fantasizing about a different life. A life where Voldemort doesn't exist. My parents are still alive. We have fun. Sirius and Remus are there too. We are a big happy family. I play Quidditch with Dad, Sirius and Mum. Me and Mum vs Dad and Sirius. Remus is baking cookies for us.

"Harry?" Annabel's voice pulled me out of my happy world.

"What?!" I snapped at her.

"I'm sorry, am I disturbing you?"she asked stiffly.

"Why are you here?"once again I snapped at her, hoping she'll take the hint and leave me alone.

"I saw you come up here. I even called after you, but you didn't respond. I was worried about you and came here to check on you."she explained.

"Just leave me alone, will you?"I said, exasperated.

"But it's Halloween! What are you doing up here all alone? Don't you want to celebrate?"

"Are you kidding me? Do you seriously want me to celebrate the day that my parents were killed?" I said angrily and got up.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn't know!"she said apologetically as the realisation dawned on her.

"You didn't know?"I asked her with disbelief.

"I mean I did know about your parents, but I didn't know it was on Halloween. I'm really sorry, Harry. I did not mean to offend you"

"Fine. Now you know. So just leave me alone."

"I'm not leaving. You shouldn't be staying alone on this day, Harry. This isn't good. You need to share your feelings. Trust me you'll feel better"she looked determined.

"I don't want to feel better! I'm okay with my feelings! Just LEAVE. ME. ALONE."I shout the last part to make myself clear.

"No. I'm not leaving until I make sure you're happy."she insisted stubbornly. I glared at her, but she still continued, "think about it Harry, would your parents want you to sit alone and sulk like this? This was the last day you spent with them. Remember it for that. Today was the last day they saw you laugh. They would definitely like to see it again. They would like to see you happy. They would want you to spend this day with the people you love."

I sighed and sat down. There's no winning an argument with this girl. She stood there for a moment and then realised that I'm not resisting anymore. So she came and sat besides me. We just sat like that for the next few minutes. I didn't say anything and she didn't push.

"The whole wizarding world knows about what happened on Halloween that year. How come you don't?"I ask after I cool down.

"I knew nothing about the wizarding world until five years ago. And even when I learned about it, I was I France. There, no one talked about you or that idiot who killed your parents. When I came here in Hogwarts, I learned about everything that had happened back then. But no one mentioned that it was on Halloween day. In fact, I don't even know that man's name. No one ever says it. They just say some crap like 'The Dark Lord' or 'You Know Who'."she said. I smiled at the way she talked about Voldemort.

"Voldemort."I said with a dark look in my eyes.

"What?"she asked me, confused.

"Voldemort. His name is Voldemort."I told her.

"Oh. I thought it was some kind of virus. Voldemort - the diarrhea causing virus."she said with a serious face. I burst out laughing. "There. That's better. Now you look good."she said with a loving smile. She looked beautiful. We stared at each other for a few moments. Then she looked away and cleared her throat. I too looked away.

Once again we sat in silence for a few moments. Then she said," would you tell me everything about this Voldemort person? If you don't mind, of course."

"Sure." I replied and then for the next few hours, I told her all about Voldemort and his 'activities'. I told her about how he wanted to rule the world. How he killed my parents and tried to kill me. How he had vanished for the past decade. How I was praised for doing it. Then I told her about my adventures since my first year in Hogwarts. At last I told her about his rebirth in the graveyard.

"You know the rest. You have seen how people are treating me now. They think I'm lying. They aren't ready to believe that Voldemort is back."I ended my story.

"Oh my, God, Harry. That's awful. No child should be facing this. You're great. So your life before Hogwarts was the only safe time you ever had? And the summer breaks."

"Safe but worse."I scoffed.

"How can anything be worse than this?"

"Believe me. As dangerous as my life in Hogwarts is, it is the only time I enjoy my life." I told her with a frown on my face. She looked confused, so I continued, "I live with my aunt and uncle when I'm not at Hogwarts. And they are horrible." And then for the next half an hour I told her about my life at the Dursley's.

"That is horrible! You shouldn't be staying there! Why did Dumbledore leave you there in the first place? And why are you still living there? This is not right!"

"I know. But I don't have any other option. Dumbledore says that it is the safest place for me. Anyways, I'm hungry. What about you? Hermione packed some sandwiches for me. Would you like some?"I asked her trying to change the subject.

"Sure."she dropped the topic but still looked worried. I took out the lunch, gave her a sandwich and took one myself. We talked about our studies and other stuff while we ate. When I was keeping the lunch box in my bag, she saw the blanket in there. "Hey, what's that?"she asked.

"It's a blanket. I have had it since I was a baby. My aunt says that it was the blanket that I had been wrapped in when I was left at the Dursley's. So I figured, it was my mum's." And then I removed all the other stuff. I told her about the invisibility cloak and made her promise that she wouldn't tell it to anyone else.

Then she picked up the album and opened it. The first photo was of my mum and dad, dancing and laughing at the camera. "Your mom is beautiful. And you look-"

"Just like my dad. I know. That's what everyone says. I look just like my dad, but with my mum's eyes." And then we saw all of the photos. There were a few baby pictures of mine. She said I looked cute. After I finished it I packed it up again. "Okay, enough about me. Now let's talk about you."

"Sure. Ask me anything."


	7. Halloween - part 2

**Annabel POV**

"So, you said you didn't know anything about the wizarding world until a few years ago. How come?"asked Harry with curiosity.

"I'm a half blood. My dad is a muggle and my mom is a witch." And then I proceeded to tell him my whole story...

* * *

**Third Person POV**

_They met in Los Angeles. Florence Pierre, was there for some work. Jason Turner, was there on vacation with his friends. Jason was in a coffee shop with his friends when he saw a beautiful young girl walk through the door. It was love at first sight. She sat at a table across from him. He just couldn't take his eyes off of her._

_Florence walked through the doors of the coffee shop and the first thing she noticed was the group of boys sitting at a table. She had just broke up with her boyfriend last month. And she was ready for another relationship. Part of the reason she came here for work was because she had heard there were handsome men here._

_She saw that one of those boys was looking at her. She decided to go along with it. So she sat at a table from where he could easily see her. She pretended to not notice him for a couple of minutes and then looked at him and smiled. He took it as a good sign and smiled back. After a few minutes he got up along with his friends to leave the coffee shop, but told them to go ahead._

_He approached her table, a little hesitant. "Hey",he said._

_She looked up at him as if she hadn't noticed him approach. "Hey",she replied._

_"I'm Jason. I know we don't even know each other. But, I saw you come through the door and I was really mesmerized by your looks. You're really beautiful."_

_She blushed at his words and said, "Um. Thank you. I'm Florence."_

_"So, I was, uh, thinking if, uh, you would...",he started to say but he just couldn't say it._

_"I would what?"she teased._

_"Would you, uh, like to, uh.."_

_"Go out with you?",she laughed._

_He was glad that she wasn't angry. "Yes. Would you like to have dinner with me?"_

_"Um, let me think.",she fake pretended to think and then laughed. "Sure. I would love to."_

_"Oh, great! So, meet me here at 7:30. Then we'll go to a nice restaurant and have dinner."_

_"Done. 7:30. Same place. Okay then, see you soon.",she said and smiled. He waved her goodbye and left the coffee shop. He told his friends about it and they started teasing him. Then he spent the rest of his day thinking about his date. In the evening he went back to the hotel he was staying at and got ready. He wore a royal blue shirt._

_After getting ready, he went back to the coffee shop. He was 15 minutes early. She arrived after 10 minutes, looking gorgeous. She was wearing a beautiful red dress. Then they went to a nice restaurant and had a delicious dinner. They talked about their works and their hobbies and their families. They told each other what their lives were like. She was faking a life. She didn't want him to know about her actual parentage. _

_It went great. He dropped her to her hotel. They kissed. They made plans for the next day. She had finished the work that she was here to do. But she had to collect some papers after a few weeks. So she had to stay there till the papers were ready. So, she agreed to join him with his friends for the rest of their vacation._

_The next few days were great. They visited places. Attended parties. Danced. Got drunk. Had lots of fun. Now there was more than kissing between them. She had shifted to his room. They spent all their time together. He was already in love with her. She too soon started feeling the same about him._

_About a week later, his vacation was over. He had to go back to London. He gave her his address and a phone number and told her to stay in contact. She had told him that she always traveled for work and thus had no permanent address, neither a phone number. So they parted ways._

_It had been two weeks since Jason left, but Florence could think about nothing other than him. She wanted to talk to him, see him, meet him. She decided to go to London after she was done with her work here. She was ready to take the risk of going there, despite all the things that were going on in the wizarding world of England at that time._

_Florence had been sick for the past few days. Vomiting. Stomachache. When she saw the calendar, she realized that she had missed her periods. She got scared and immediately went to a doctor. There it was confirmed. She was pregnant. She was pregnant with Jason's baby. She had to tell him as soon as possible. She went to a nearby phone booth and called the number he had given her._

_"Jason?",she said when the phone had been received._

_"Florence? Hey! I thought you'd never call. How are you?",came his reply._

_"Not good. We need to talk."_

_"Oh. Okay. What's wrong?",he sounded worried now._

_"I've been sick for the past few days. And then I noticed that I missed my periods."_

_"Uh, oh."_

_"Yeah. I went to a doctor and he confirmed it. I'm pregnant. I'm carrying your child, Jason.",she said and started to cry._

_He didn't know what to say. He was scared. He had no idea what was going to happen next. He stayed silent for a few minutes. She kept sobbing. He thought about it and made his decision. It was his child after all. "Okay. Now listen to me, Florence. Go to the airport and book the tickets to London. We will do something. Don't worry. Everything will be alright. I'll not leave you alone. I'm here for you. Just relax and come here as soon as possible. Okay?"_

_"Hmm.",she managed to say through her sobbing. She calmed down a bit. "I have to collect some papers tomorrow. I'll make sure they reach their destination and then I'll be there. Please don't leave me alone, Jason." And then she started crying again._

_"I won't. I promise. Take care of yourself. Goodbye."_

_"Bye."_

_After sending the papers to their destination, she wanted to portkey to London. But she didn't want anyone to know where she was. So, she portkeyed to Italy and then took a flight to London. Once there, she went straight to the address that Jason had given her. But the house was locked. She figured he was at work. She decided to wait there till he comes back._

_After a few hours, Jason came home and was surprised to see Florence at the porch of his house. "Florence?",he said and ran to her and hugged her. She started crying. He took her inside and made her comfortable. After she was calm, he surprised her by asking her to marry him._

_Florence was not sure if she wanted to do this. She wasn't a muggle. She had a job and a family back home. She could abort the child, return home, find some wizard, fall in love and marry him. That life would be perfect. She'll be happy and satisfied. But then she looked at his face and saw pure love. She knew that this man loved her more than anything else and will take care of her and the baby for the rest of his life._

_She made her decision. She said yes. Now she would break all contact with the wizarding world. She told him that she knew her family wouldn't accept him. They decided to live there in London and raise the baby with lots of love. They got married and soon she had a baby girl. They named her Annabel. It was the prettiest baby they had ever seen._

_Everything was going great until one day, about a year and a half after Annabel's birth, Jason came home early from work. He wanted to surprise his wife, so he didn't ring the bell. He used his keys to unlock the door. He heard the noise of dishes being washed in the kitchen. He went there but it was empty. He was almost sure that he had heard someone there. Next he looked for her in their bedroom, but she wasn't there. He went to the baby's room, but there was no one._

_He was worried now. He thought she might be playing with the baby in their backyard. So he went there. And what he saw there changed his life forever. There she was, his wife, sitting on the ground. She had some kind of stick in her hand. It was pointed at baby Annabel, who was laughing and floating about two feet above the ground. He was horrified._

_"Annabel!",he screamed. Florence was shocked to hear her husband shouting their baby's name. He had seen her levitate the baby. She almost dropped Annabel due to the shock. He hurried up to her and lifted her in his arms. Then he faced Florence and started backing away from her. There was horror in his eyes._

_"What are you? What were you doing to my baby?! And how long have you been doing it?",he shouted angrily._

_"Jason, it's okay. That's my baby too. I would never hurt her. I was just playing with her. She was having fun.",she tried to calm him down and took a step towards them._

_"STAY AWAY FROM US!",he yelled. "What kind of creature are you?! Humans don't make their babies float for fun!" She had no other option but to tell him everything. She told him all about the wizarding world and her family. She explained to him that she wasn't much different than him. That she was normal. But he was freaking out._

_"You lied to me. All this time I spent will you was a lie. I don't even know who you really are. Just please get out of our life and leave us alone",he tried to say as calmly as possible._

_"Us? You mean you and the baby? I'm not going to leave my baby! She's mine as much as yours. You have no right to say such a thing to me. I'll never harm her.",she was getting mad at him now. They kept arguing for a while and then came to an agreement. She could take care of the baby while he was out at work. But all the other time, she'll stay away from the baby and their house._

_This went on for a couple of weeks, when suddenly one day Florence came up to Jason and told him that she couldn't stay here anymore. She told him that the next day she was going to leave for France. He told her that he never wanted to see her face again. She gave him an address and told him that he'll know when to use it._

_So that's how little Annabel wound up staying with her father. He never told her anything about her mother and the wizarding world. He never needed to. Until a few years ago. When Annabel did her first accidental magic._

_She was 11 years old. She wanted to go to a party at her friend's house. But she had an exam the next day, so Jason didn't give her permission. She was really very angry with him and suddenly the window behind him exploded. The glass hurt his back. There was blood all over the place. He told her to call anan ambulan and he was taken to the hospital. She cried a lot and told him that she was sorry and that she didn't mean to hurt him. He comforted her and told her that it wasn't her fault. But he knew that it was time to call her mother._

_Florence knew this would happen. She was a pureblood after all, her daughter had to be a witch. When she got a letter from Jason, she immediately portkeyed to London and went over to her former home. Annabel met her mother for the first time. She told her all about the wizarding world and her wizard part of family. She knew it was ime for Annabel to start her wizarding school. She knew there was a wizarding school somewhere in England, but she wanted her daughter to be as close to her as possible. So she took her to France and she started her school in Beauxbatons._

_She would stay there for the school and come back to her father during the holidays. Then four years later, Jason found out about Hogwarts and insisted on having his daughter go to school there. And so she was transferred to Hogwarts._


End file.
